Michael Carrick believes Manchester United are heading into the new Premier League season in a positive mood despite ending pre-season with a 4-2 defeat by AC Milan.
United twice took the lead in Saturday’s final friendly in Poland, with Harry Maguire and Patrick Dorgu finding the net, but Milan turned the game around with three goals in the final 35 minutes to hand Carrick’s side their second defeat in six pre-season matches.
Despite the setback, Carrick was encouraged by the overall progress made during the summer, particularly as players gradually returned from their post-World Cup breaks.
“I think, as a whole, it’s been very good,” Carrick told MUTV. “I think there are a lot of positives to take from it. A lot of the performances, the group’s grown and got stronger.
“So overall, I think [it’s been positive] barring today. We’re disappointed with today. We didn’t play well today, so there are reasons for that. We need to learn from it. We need to improve.”
The defeat came as several players made their first appearances of pre-season after returning late from international duty. Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford were introduced in the second half, while Bruno Fernandes, Maguire and Luke Shaw were among those to complete the match.
Carrick sees positives in Man Utd pre-season despite Milan defeat
Carrick believes the additional minutes should leave the squad better prepared for the competitive campaign.
“On the whole, we’re ready for next week,” he said. “A lot of the boys will be better for the minutes and, as I say, we’ve done a lot of work on the training pitch.”
United’s pre-season included victories over Rosenborg and Atletico Madrid, a draw with Paris Saint-Germain and a penalty-shootout win over Leeds, alongside defeats by Wrexham and Milan.
With the opening league fixture against Hull City now approaching, Carrick is also facing selection decisions with his squad close to full strength.
“We’ve got a good squad, so there are decisions to be made,” he said. “We’ve got a good week’s training this week as well to get some more work in. So we’ll be ready for next week.”
Carrick will give his players Sunday off before a full week of training at Carrington as United complete their preparations for the Premier League opener.
“I think there’s a whole different feeling when it’s the first league game of the season,” he added. “Having a whole squad back home, back at Carrington, and looking forward to the start.”